"I was totally joking," she says, nudging my shoulder. "It's mostly friends from high school coming over. Friends who are girls."
I laugh. "I'm still locking my bedroom door."
"Thanks for letting us hang out here. You're the best." She leans forward to hug me. "I hope your night will be as good as mine."
Chapter 10
Crew
I spent my day in a meeting with the manager of the Matiz store in Vegas followed by five hours on a plane that had run dry of whiskey, beer and anything harder than a non-alcoholic white wine. The only redeeming part of that flight was the man sitting next to me. He owns a shopping complex in Boston. I've been scouting the city looking for a space for our newest Matiz boutique.
I'll fly there next week and buy him lunch. Fate does shine her bright light on me occasionally.
"I'll have someone bring your bags up, sir." The driver I occasionally use smiles as he opens the car door so I can exit. "It won't be more than ten minutes."
It better not be. I want a hot shower and a scotch. I'll have to squeeze a shave in there somewhere. My five o'clock shadow has grown into a light beard over the past few days.
I made the decision to come back to Manhattan as soon as Lucia stomped out of my suite with an impressive trail of curse words falling from her lips. I called the airline myself, since rousing my assistant from bed at three in the morning would earn me a shitty attitude from her once I showed back up in the office. I didn't see the need to wake the woman up in the middle of the night to handle a call I'm perfectly capable of taking on myself.
I should have risked the blowback and called Nancy.
The airline booked me on a connecting flight through Atlanta first thing in the morning. I was packed, ready and eager to board when the flight was cancelled.
Shit happens so I got the gate agent to rebook me on a flight an hour later. It had two connections and an empty seat in coach so I was on board, until I wasn't.
I was bumped onto the standby list for the next flight and by then, Nancy was at her desk in New York. I called her. She took care of it and got me on a direct in the afternoon. That gave me time to revisit the manager of the Matiz store in Vegas to talk about the launch of the fall line of products that will hit stores before summer is half over.
For a day that started out in hell, it's ending in heaven.
I'm home.
I reach in my pocket and pull out a hundred to tip the driver. I'm not an overly generous guy but he's one of the good ones. He kept quiet so I could close my eyes on the drive from LaGuardia.
"Thank you, sir." He bows when I hand him the bill.
I catch him by his shoulder. "I'm not a fucking prince, Bill. Don't hurt your back for a hundred. You need to drop the sir shit too or your next tip is a dollar. It's Crew, not sir. I told you that last time."
"Yes, Crew." He pockets the cash. "I'll get those bags sent right up. Enjoy your night, sir."
I huff out a laugh as I turn to walk into the building. "A dollar, Bill. One fucking dollar next time."
***
Jesus.
Fate isn't just shining her bright light on me tonight, she's handing me every dream I've ever had and then some.
I'm in my apartment. It's dark, the only light illuminating the main room is the flicker from the television.
I knew something was up as soon as I opened the door, walked into the foyer and heard voices. It didn't take but a beat for me to realize it was the television. It wouldn't have been the first time I've come home to find it on. The woman who stops by twice a week to tidy up the place is notorious for leaving it blaring once she's done her work and left.
Tonight is different.
I stalked across the room to turn it off, but I stopped in place when I noticed an open laptop, a smartphone, a half-eaten bowl of microwave popcorn and an empty soda can on my coffee table. I stock that brand of soda in my fridge for just one person.
I looked toward the guest room but the door was wide open and the lights were off. That's when I rounded the leather couch and came close to dropping to my knees.
Adley York is fast asleep on my couch.
I can't help but stare. My cock can't help but swell.
Her blonde hair is splayed out on the pillow beneath her head. Her lips are parted slightly and her body is more than I ever could have imagined.
One arm is bent above her head. The other is resting on her stomach; her bare stomach.
Beautiful Adley is nude from the waist up. Her breasts are round and full with nipples I'm dying to suck into pebbled peaks.
The only thing covering her body is a small pair of sheer white panties that provide just a tease of a smooth pink cunt underneath them.
She looks like a sinful angel.
I run my hand over the front of my black pants. I'm hard as stone. My erection is pulsing with need.
The dirty part of me wants to fist it, waking her with a grunt and a pinch of her nipple before I shoot my hot release all over that flawless skin.
I shake my head. What the fuck am I doing?
I back away, my eyes never leaving her body. This may very well be the only chance I get to see this in my lifetime and I want to implant it in my mind so later tonight when I'm in the shower, or a year or ten from now, I can jerk off to the memory of the sight of her tits and pussy.
Fuck, I want a taste of that.
My breathing labors as I quietly move back to the foyer. I can't let the doorman pound on the door the way he usually does when he brings up my bags. It may startle her enough that she'll wake and then she'll be horrified that I saw her wearing nothing but a pair of panties that I wish I could have so I can smell her scent whenever I want.
For fuck's sake. I need to get a grip.
I pick up my briefcase and exit the apartment with a soft click of the door.
I know she's a heavy sleeper. I saw it the night she slept over during a snow storm. I had to practically kick in the guest room door to get her out of bed to have breakfast with me.
I hear the ding of the service elevator in the distance which means the doorman is about to drop a suitcase and a wardrobe bag at my feet.
I fish my phone from the inner pocket of my suit jacket. I pull up Adley's contact information and hit the call button. The annoying song she has pinned as her ringtone when she's on call starts up behind the closed door. It's loud as hell and for good reason. It's the only thing that will get her out of bed and to the clinic.
It continues unanswered until it goes to voicemail.
Shit.
I set out down the corridor at a quick pace passing the semi-private elevator I just exited before I round the corner as the service elevator's doors shut behind the doorman.
I call her again, hoping that the incessant music will jar her awake. By some miracle she answers on the third ring, her voice soft and groggy. "Yes. Hi."
I stalk toward the elevator and the stunned doorman. I don't want Adley to know how close I am. I want to give her at least a two minute warning before I open the apartment door again. "Ad, it's me. What are you up to tonight?"
The doorman shoots me a puzzled look. I half-shrug as I drop my briefcase and lean a hand on his shoulder to catch my breath.
"Crew?" She says my name and my dick twitches again. It hasn't calmed since I saw her half-naked. Her voice brings it back to full mast. "Where are you?"
"I just got to my building. I'm heading up to my apartment." I arch a brow at the doorman. "I wanted to see if you're in the mood for a burger at your favorite place."
I hear the distinctive sound of rustling. "What? You're in New York? You're not coming home for another few days."
"I'm back early. Can I swing by and pick you up after I shower?"
"Actually," she begins on a small, soft laugh." Sydney is having a party tonight. I'm at your place. I needed the peace and quiet. I hope that's okay."
It's perfect.
"I'm about to walk through the door. I hope you're decent
." I shoot the doorman a wide grin. The look of confusion on his face is pure gold.
She exhales deeply. It's breathy, light, and fuck is it sexy. "I am."
"I'll see you in less than a minute."
"Crew?"
My heart stops at the sound of my name from her lips. There's a need in her voice I've never heard before. "Yes?"
"I'm glad you're back."
"Me too," I say quietly in return before I start back toward my apartment, ready to face the woman I'm going to fantasize about every fucking day until I draw my last breath.
Chapter 11
Crew
I stare into Adley's vibrant blue eyes. I see things now that I couldn't see when I was standing over her near naked body imagining what it would be like to touch her.
Her eyes are red, her bottom lip is swollen. She's been sobbing and biting on that lip. It's what she does when her world has fallen off its axis. The thought of her alone, on my couch, crying herself to sleep breaks my heart.
"I didn't know you were coming back." She tugs on the bottom of the white T-shirt she's wearing. She also slipped a pair of cut-off denim shorts over her panties.
Her hair is a mess and her face scrubbed clean of makeup. It seems impossible, but it makes me want her even more than I did ten minutes ago.
"My work was done." I brush past her to take my bags to my bedroom. "I have things to take care of here."
Her. I want to take care of her.
I hear the soft pad of her bare feet as she follows me down the long corridor to my master suite. It's tucked away from the main living area and the guest room.
I flick on the lights and my eyes are instantly drawn to my bed. My pillow is missing. I smile inwardly with the realization that she came in here to get it before she sprawled out on the couch.
I drop everything on the bench at the foot of my bed and turn back to face her. She's tiny when she's not wearing heels. She looks vulnerable and broken. I want to take her in my arms, but I can't. I've always let her come to me when she needs my broad shoulders to cry on.
"I'm going to shave and take a shower."
Her eyes land on my jaw. "You look different like that."
I rub my hand over the layer of stubble. "Different good or different creepy?"
She studies my face for a long second. "Good."
"The beard stays." I could stare at her for hours. I've wasted too many years not looking at her, now I can't tear my eyes away from her.
She dips her chin and looks down. "I can leave if that's better for you. Sydney's party must be winding down by now."
It's barely midnight. Sydney is twenty-one. The party is just hitting its stride. "You're staying the night."
She nods without complaint. "I appreciate that."
I shrug out of my suit jacket and toss it on the bed. "I gave you that key because I want you to come here when you need a place to crash. That hasn't changed."
Her eyes are glued to me as I tug the tail of my light blue shirt from my pants.
She clears her throat. "I have to leave for work early. I'll try to be quiet so I don't wake you. You must be exhausted from your trip."
"Are you heading to bed now?" I ask as I toe out of my shoes and slip my socks off.
"No. I mean if you are, I should too." Her gaze trails over my biceps and chest until it lands on my face.
I finger the second button on my shirt. The first is already undone. I tucked my tie into my jacket pocket somewhere over Kansas. "I'm going to shower, then have a drink. You're welcome to join me."
Tilting her head she looks toward the washroom that's attached to my bedroom. I wait for her to make a flirtatious joke about my unintentional invitation for her to shower with me. When she finally looks at me again, her expression is pained. "Did you have fun in Vegas?"
I swallow. "It was a work trip, Ad."
"It's Vegas. You must have fit in time for more than work."
"Not this trip." I unbutton the second button on my shirt. "I was all work and no play this time around."
She steps back, her eyes never leaving my hands. "I'll wait for you in the other room while you shower."
"I won't be long." I watch her walk away, a faint flicker of hope burning in my chest that those questions didn't come from just a friend, but from a woman who wants me as much as I want her.
***
"You can put that fucking puzzle back where you found it, Ad." I gesture toward the cardboard box with my tumbler of scotch. "That's not happening tonight."
She slides it an inch forward on the coffee table with the tip of her index finger. "I think tonight is a perfect night for us to try again."
The words get twisted in their delivery. I do want to try again. I want to try and redefine our relationship again. The first time we decided to be just friends, but that's not fucking working for me anymore.
When I exited the shower, my pillow was back where it belonged with the bonus of Adley's fragrance attached to it. That means she walked into my bedroom when I was in the shower. The bathroom door was wide open. One turn of her head and she could have seen me through the glass walls of the shower. Granted, it steamed up pretty quickly, but I like the idea of her wanting to see me nude. Whether that's reality is for me to find out.
"Let's play a game." I move to sit on the couch.
Her eyes skim over my bare chest the same way they did when I walked into the kitchen wearing only black silk pajama bottoms to pour myself a drink. I saw her topless so I thought I'd return the favor.
Her hardened nipples thanked me for the show, even if she didn't.
She draws her knees to her chest in the leather chair she's sitting in that's next to the couch. "What game?"
I take a large swallow of scotch before I look at her. "Truth or Dare."
She bites the corner of her bottom lip and my cock stirs. I take another sip to calm myself.
"Are you game, Ad?"
She nods softly. "I'm game. You go first."
Chapter 12
Adley
"What will it be?" He arches one of his dark brows. "Truth or dare?"
I'm tempted to go with the dare just to see what it would be. I felt something different in the air between us in the bedroom, but now I'm not sure if it was my imagination playing tricks on me or not.
When he called to say he was back home and on his way up to his place, I almost fell off the sofa. I ran into the guest room to put on one of the white T-shirts he keeps in there for me. I pulled the jean shorts I'd worn over to his place back on and ran my hands through my hair.
I made myself at home when I got here hours ago. It felt comfortable and right. Now, that he's back my world feels even more settled.
"Truth," I answer simply.
He narrows his eyes. "What was the last thing that made you cry?"
My heart stutters in my chest. I was crying earlier. The tears born from a sappy scene in a movie I was watching, but they quickly morphed into something else entirely. That's how it works with me. A spark of sentimentality ignites a blaze of sorrow deep within.
"A movie," I answer truthfully since that's what the rules of this game call for. "That's why it's called a tear-jerker. I couldn't keep it together through the first fifteen minutes."
"What was it about?" He keeps his gaze on me as he places the glass of liquor on the coffee table.
I glance down, tempted to swallow what's left. I can't. Not tonight. Courage has to come from within me. I want to know if what I felt in the bedroom was real. Crew's not going to be the one to make the first move. He values our friendship too much, maybe even more than I do.
"That's another question and it's not your turn," I point out with an unexpected calmness in my voice. It's not an accurate reflection of how I feel inside. I'm anxious, nervous and unsure of which direction this game is headed.
"I guess that means you're at bat," he quips.
The comment isn't lost on me. I know he has an issue with Trey. He has since that night at t
he club when he saw the two of us dancing.
"Truth or dare, Crew?"
He waits for a beat before he answers, his eyes skimming over my face. "Let's go with truth."
I hone in on the one topic I know he'll have a strong opinion on. I've never doubted Crew's honesty and I know he wouldn't answer this differently if I asked it outside the context of the game, but still, my curiosity is too strong to push the issue aside. "What do you think of Trey?"
He shoves a hand through his hair. He didn't style it after his shower and it's long enough that it's incredibly sexy when messy. He looks at me before his gaze drops to the floor. "Why? Are things more serious between you two than they were when I left?"
"You have to answer the question truthfully. You'll have your chance to ask me that if I pick truth next round."
His right knee bounces slightly with aggravation. I've seen it before. Usually that nervous energy is reserved for his family or a business deal gone astray. "Fine. I don't think he's good enough for you."
His protective nature has always been one of the things I like most about him. He's not just that way with me. It's the same with his sister and brothers. He has other friends, including women he'll do almost anything to protect too. "It's your turn at bat."
"Point taken, Ad. I'll drop the baseball references and you'll pick truth this round."
I don't argue. I know what the question is going to be and I want to answer it. Since we agreed to stay out of each other's personal lives, he's never questioned me about any of the guys I've been with. I have a feeling that's about to change now.
"Where are things between you and Hale?" he asks right on cue.
"We kissed."
"You kissed?" He leans forward to rest his forearms on his thighs.
"Yesterday," I answer quickly. "We had coffee and then when we said goodbye we kissed."
"So you're saying you haven't made it to second base yet?"
"You said no more baseball references and you were allowed one question, not ten."
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